Thursday, March 22, 2012

The Obama Administration and targeted killings: “Trust us”

"...Over the past few years, I have been fortunate to speak with a number of dedicated and thoughtful officials in the executive branch about U.S. targeted killing policies...

...Without a security clearance to corroborate and verify these statements, the defense of U.S. targeted killing policies boils down to “trust me.”...

...On Monday, Attorney General Eric Holder gave a policy speech at Northwestern University Law School, in which he echoed what I have heard one-on-one...Let’s break down some of the arguments put forth by the attorney general:... [Read More]

...HOLDER: “It is preferable to capture suspected terrorists where feasible—among other reasons, so that we can gather valuable intelligence from them.”...

...Of course, this statement begs the question: if that is true, why has the United States largely stopped capturing and detaining terrorist suspects?...“The Government of Pakistan arrested and transferred to U.S. custody nearly 500 suspected al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists.” By 2004, however, the United States virtually discontinued this practice, and instead began killing terrorists with armed Predator drones...

...“To those in the Executive branch who say ‘just trust us’ when it comes to secret and warrantless surveillance of domestic communications I say remember your history.”...

...Many Americans didn’t trust the Bush administration reading their emails, and they should be even more skeptical of the current administration and the targeted killings of citizens and non-citizens..." [Read More]